Asinan

Ingredients

Brine

• 500 mlwater
• 120 mlrice or coconut vinegar
• 120 gpalm sugar, grated
• 2 tspsalt
• 4red chillies, blended
• 3 clovesgarlic (optional)
• 2 tbspdried shrimp, ground (omit for a vegetarian version)

Vegetables

• 200 gwhite cabbage, finely shredded
• 150 gbean sprouts, tailed
• 1cucumber, in batons
• 150 gmustard greens or Chinese cabbage, shredded
• 100 gfirm tofu, fried and sliced

To serve

• 80 groasted peanuts, coarsely crushed
• prawn crackers (kerupuk)

Directions

1. Bring the water, vinegar, palm sugar and salt to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then take off the heat.
2. Stir in the blended chilli, garlic and ground dried shrimp and let the brine cool completely. Pouring warm brine over the vegetables cooks them limp, and asinan should stay crisp.
3. Blanch the bean sprouts for 20 seconds only and refresh them in iced water. Everything else goes in raw.
4. Pack the cabbage, sprouts, cucumber, mustard greens and tofu into a bowl or jar and pour the cold brine over so everything is submerged.
5. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, or up to a day. The vegetables soften slightly and take on the sweet-sour heat without losing their crunch.
6. Serve in bowls with plenty of the brine spooned over, topped with crushed peanuts and prawn crackers crumbled on at the last moment so they stay crisp.

Technique

• The brine must be cold before it meets the vegetables. This is the whole difference between asinan and a limp pickle.
• Balance is sweet, sour, salty and hot in roughly equal measure — taste the brine on its own and adjust before pouring.
• Add the crackers at the table. Left to sit they turn to paste.

Substitutions

• Asinan buah, made with fruit — pineapple, mango, jicama, papaya — using the same brine.
• Leave out the dried shrimp and use light soy for a fully vegetarian version.

Variations

• Asinan Betawi, the Jakarta version, heavier on peanuts and crackers.
• Asinan Bogor, more fruit-forward and sweeter.

History

Bogor’s fruit version and Betawi’s vegetable version are the best known; the name simply means salted.

Frequently asked questions

What is Asinan?

Asinan is a salad & side from Indonesia: vegetables or fruit steeped in sweet-sour vinegar brine with peanuts and crackers. Bogor’s fruit version and Betawi’s vegetable version are the best known; the name simply means salted.

How long does Asinan take to make?

Asinan takes 25 min plus 2 hr steeping of preparation and 10 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Asinan?

Yes, within limits. Asinan buah, made with fruit — pineapple, mango, jicama, papaya — using the same brine. Leave out the dried shrimp and use light soy for a fully vegetarian version.

What is the most important thing to get right in Asinan?

Serve in bowls with plenty of the brine spooned over, topped with crushed peanuts and prawn crackers crumbled on at the last moment so they stay crisp.